Martin Hyde
Martin Hyde was born in the year A.D. 977 in Wessex, England. He was a recently installed thegn under King Aethelred the Unready of England, having built large holdings in western and southern England, much of which he used for hunting forest game. However, whilst travelling between farms and villages in his lands in 1014, he encountered Danish raiders under the ultimate command of King Sweyn Forkbeard of Denmark, and was killed, reviving as an Immortal. The raiders were led by Kanwulf, also an Immortal, who became Hyde's teacher. Early Life After being taught about his Immortality, Hyde became a headhunter, seeking out older Immortals and taking their heads. One cunning way to accomplish this would involve fear -- using the younger Immortals to lead them to their teachers Martin would then take their heads -- and their more powerful Quickenings. In 1630, Hyde visited Scotland, and encountered Duncan MacLeod. Hyde tried to force Duncan into telling him where Duncan's teacher, Connor MacLeod was, so that Martin could take his head. Duncan decided to fight Hyde, but wasn't skilled enough then. Martin refused to take Duncan's head and rode off, taunting him. Hyde didn't take heads from younger Immortals, preferring to benefit from stronger Quickenings; waiting until the younger Immortals were older and more seasoned. Around 1655, Hyde pursued fellow Immortal Timon of Greece across Europe, seeking his head. Timon fled into the Monastery of St. Christopher's in order to take refuge on Holy Ground, a place founded by fellow Immortal, Brother Paul. In 1700, in Paris, Hyde went to a church and again encountered Duncan MacLeod. Martin was there to take the head of the Immortal Pierre Segur, another teacher of Duncan's. Pierre decided to face Hyde. Pierre gave Duncan a bottle of cognac for the both to drink, telling Duncan to wait for him in about an hour at the bridge. Duncan waited for an hour, but it was clear that Martin Hyde had defeated Pierre Segur. Final Days Centuries later, in 1994, Hyde was finally after Duncan MacLeod. Seeking to bring MacLeod out into the open, Hyde caused a great deal of trouble for Richie Ryan in South America, sending Richie on the run. Hyde then followed Richie to Spain, framing Richie for the murder of a friend. Martin pursued Richie to Marseilles, France, where, outside the city, Richie pulled over for gas, aware that an Immortal was following him. Hyde committed another murder, again framing Richie, who then fled to Paris seeking Duncan MacLeod, not realizing that Hyde was using Richie to lead him to his teacher. Martin called the police, and Richie was arrested. Duncan found a way to clear Richie of the murder charge by meeting Hyde on a rooftop -- after drawing his sword in the presence of the waiting police, Hyde was shot and fell off the roof, dead. Richie was then free to go, once the murders could be tied to Hyde. Hyde later awoke in the morgue, took his sword, and left. MacLeod knew that he would come for him. Taking the same bottle of cognac that Pierre Segur gave him in 1700, Duncan told Richie to wait for him. MacLeod departed, and challenged Hyde. Hyde put up a good fight, but was ultimately defeated and beheaded. Fighting Style Hyde's style was very aggressive, emphasizing offensive attacks. This seemed to work very well over the years, for it didn't give any ground for the opponents, who in the end took some of the hits and lost. It seemed that MacLeod figured that out, and willingly underplayed his skills, making Hyde come at him widely exposed. Weapons In 1630, Hyde wielded a two-handed sword, a Garcia de Paredes Mandoble. By 1993, he had switched to a one-handed sword, made by Tomás de Ayala around 1600. This was a rare, special blade, due to the fact that Ayala forged only six of them in total. Personality Hyde was a man who enjoyed hunting and often would cite his love of the chase when challenging an opponent. He did so prior to his fights with both MacLeod and Segur, and no doubt countless others over the years, and especially loved killing by his words "seasoned Immortals". Moreover, he had an active hunting club, and his home was decorated with many animal heads, featuring African, European, and American species. His overall persona was cold, brooding, and of a man who loved the chase and calculating his opponents. Miscellaneous Information * The actor who portrayed Hyde, Michael Siberry, would also appear in ''Highlander: The Raven'', where he portrayed Frank Brennan. Hyde Hyde Hyde Hyde Category:Head Hunters